Year after year, horror filmmakers desperately search for ways to keep the genre fresh. Whether it's a film entirely from the perspective of the murderer or a found footage movie that abandons narrative cohesion. Bold experimentation is desperately needed to keep the thrills thrilling and the scares scary, but sometimes the pioneering film isn't the one that propels the genre forward. While rare, sometimes a sequel will not only live up to the original but will improve upon the original concept in almost every way.
The "Screenlife" film is a subgenre that became relevant about a decade ago and is undoubtedly the trend that has pushed horror filmmaking forward the most. This subgenre centers around narrative stories told entirely through the screen of a device, whether it be a computer, laptop, or a cell phone. The genre was popularized by 2014's Unfriended but wasn't mastered until four years later with Stephen Susco's much-maligned masterpiece Unfriended: Dark Web...
... Unfriended: Dark Web was hugely successful. The film grossed $16 Million against a budget of $1 Million and was received more positively than its predecessor. Despite its box office success, the film has fallen out of favor with fans and critics over the years, and unjustly so. Regardless of the majority opinion, Unfriended: Dark Web stands as a brilliant addition to a thriving subgenre. With a perfect mix of psychological tension and visceral scares, this film offers something for every kind of horror fan and deserves to be remembered.